Ramaphosa calls urgent meeting of National Coronavirus Command Council as death toll rises

• The National Coronavirus Command Council is expected to meet on Wednesday morning, even though it was expected that the council would only meet next week. 
• President Cyril Ramaphosa usually addresses the nation a day or two after such a meeting to give an update on Covid-19 lockdown regulations. 
• The Covid-19 death toll in South Africa surpassed the 30 000 mark on Monday. 

The government's National Coronavirus Command Council is expected to meet on Wednesday morning, setting the stage for yet another announcement on the Covid-19 lockdown from President Cyril Ramaphosa by the end of the week.

The council's scheduled meeting was only expected to happen next week, but government spokesperson Phumla Williams told News24 earlier that a meeting could be called sooner if major developments needed to be addressed urgently.

This after the Covid-19 death toll in South Africa surpassed the 30 000 mark on Monday and 12 601 new cases were reported.

Meetings of the NCCC are preceded by a meeting by the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints), which consists of the officials and operators who monitor the Covid-19 situation on the ground.

NCCC decisions are tabled in a Cabinet meeting, where these are deliberated before Ramaphosa announces them to the nation.

Cabinet meetings usually take place on a Wednesday, and the first one for the year was scheduled for next week.

But emergency meetings are called when there are urgent matters that need addressing.

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It is unclear what prompted the president to call an early meeting because the adjusted lockdown Level 3 lockdown measures announced before New Year's Day are only set to expire at the end of next week.

There is, however, a lot of uncertainty around the reopening of schools this month. Many parents and teachers are making plans on a wait-and-see basis. 

Several private schools are set to open next week and public schools are only scheduled to reopen later in the month. There have also been talks about schools opening earlier than scheduled. 

In addition, there are concerns about the new, more infectious, variant that is prevalent in South Africa, which some scientists fear could be resistant to Covid-19 vaccines that are being rolled out in some countries. 

ALSO READ | SA Covid-19 variant: Is it more dangerous than UK variant? Will the vaccines work on it? Experts weigh in

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